Arsenal need 'active' January transfer window, says Arteta

James Shearman

• Updated: 23 May 2023 09:00 CDT
• 3 min read

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta thinks that the north London club need to strengthen in the January transfer window.

The Gunners are top of the Premier League, five points clear of Manchester City, but Arteta doesn't believe the current squad is deep enough.

“We are going to be active and active means we are looking to strengthen the team,” said Arteta.

READ: Mission impossible? Arsenal’s €12m bargain to replace Gabriel Jesus

“This squad still doesn’t have the luxury of not maximising every single window. We have to do that because it’s really important.

“But then we have to get the right profile, it has to be the right player to take us to the next level. We will be in the market always active and we will assess the biggest opportunities that we have.”

Arsenal legend wants Brighton stars

Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit thinks that his former club should be targeting two of Brighton's players.

Aside from Thomas Partey's injury record and Granit Xhaka's fluctuating form, Arsenal look pretty thin in central midfield, with only Albert Sambi Lokonga and Mohamed Elneny as backups.

So Petit, who won the Premier League with Arsenal in 1998, thinks Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo should be brought in to offer competition for places.

"Mac Allister, I said this last season before he won the World Cup, he's a guy that does everything in the midfield," Petit told Mega Casino. "He sets the tempo, carries the ball. Technically, he's very good. He scores goals.

READ: Who is Alexis Mac Allister? Brighton's Argentina midfielder linked with Chelsea

"The guy that sits next to him at Brighton, Caicedo, he's excellent. If Arsenal could take both of those players, two guys who know each other, they would fit perfectly at the club.

''They would do everything that [Mikel] Arteta wants in midfield. Both of them are young and could form a partnership for years."